Mecca
Photo: MrJoker07, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons, cropped)
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- yesterday
Houthis claim new missile strike on Riyadh airport as Taiz siege deepens in Yemen
The Houthis said a missile hit King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Wednesday, 4 November, while Saudi authorities had not confirmed it. The group also reported attacks in Jizan, Najran and Al Yauf that it said left dozens dead.
- 6d ago
Syria weighs joining Mecca defence pact as Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia continue
Foreign minister Asaad al-Shaibani said on Saturday, 31 October 2026, that Damascus is evaluating entry into the pact that Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed in August. The move could draw another country into the kingdom's conflict with the Iran-backed Houthis.
- Oct 30
Houthi missiles target Aden as Saudi coalition reports drone interceptions
The Houthis fired ballistic missiles at Aden airport and the Maashiq presidential palace on 30 October, while the Saudi-led coalition reported intercepting drones over the Mecca and Riyadh regions. The US has ordered non-emergency government staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia.
- Oct 6
Turkey and Pakistan activate Mecca defense pact to deploy troops in Saudi Arabia
Ankara and Islamabad agreed on Monday to deploy military forces to Saudi Arabia under their collective defense treaty, responding to escalating Houthi missile and drone strikes across the kingdom.
- Oct 2
Saudi coalition accuses Houthis of drone attack on Medina power station
A drone strike disabled a transformer at a Medina electrical substation supplying the Prophet's Mosque, prompting coalition accusations that Houthi officials denied.
- Sep 26
Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan hold defense talks in Riyadh following Houthi missile strikes
Military chiefs from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan convened in Riyadh to discuss mutual defense assistance after Houthi forces launched missile strikes and seized Yemeni coastal areas near the Bab el-Mandeb strait.
- Sep 26
Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan Hold Defence Talks in Riyadh Following Houthi Strikes
Military chiefs from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan met in Riyadh on 25 September 2026 to begin operationalizing the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement after recent Houthi missile strikes.
- Sep 24
Greek Patriot unit intercepts ballistic missile and drone over Saudi Arabia
A Greek military air defence battery fired two Patriot missiles at 13:40 on Thursday to destroy an incoming ballistic missile and a drone over the Yanbu refining hub in Saudi Arabia.
- Sep 19
Pakistan and Turkey reaffirm Saudi defense pledges after alleged Mecca drone attack
Islamabad confirmed its military readiness to assist Riyadh under the Mecca defense pact following an alleged Houthi drone strike near the holy city, while Ankara noted that collective action requires a formal Saudi request.
- Aug 17
Trump hails Saudi-Turkish-Pakistani defense pact as Middle East 'uniting'
US President Donald Trump said he was 'very happy' about a defense agreement signed on August 7 by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, telling followers on Truth Social that the pact shows the Middle East is uniting.
- Aug 15
Erdogan tells Al Jazeera Egypt may join Mecca defence pact, EU accession no longer a priority, Trump promised F-35s
In an Al Jazeera interview airing Sunday, Turkish President Erdogan said Egypt could join the Turkey-Saudi Arabia-Pakistan Mecca defence pact, declared EU accession no longer a priority, and repeated that Donald Trump promised him F-35 jets.
- Aug 14
Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia detail mechanisms of Mecca defence pact
Turkey's defence ministry outlined coordination mechanisms for the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement signed August 7 with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, as a Houthi drone strike on a Saudi refinery two days later tested the pact's mutual-defence clause.
- Aug 8
Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan sign Mecca defense pact with NATO-style mutual defense clause
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed a trilateral defense agreement in Mecca on Friday, August 7, 2026, stipulating that an armed attack against any one of the three states will be considered an attack against all, a formulation echoing NATO's Article 5.
- Aug 7
Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan sign Mecca defense pact with NATO-style collective defense clause
Three Sunni Muslim-majority states signed a collective defense agreement in Mecca on August 7, with an attack on any member considered an attack on all, amid the ongoing war between Iran and the US-Israeli coalition.
